For July 4th, Club Nokia plays host to both Wagakki Band and their opening act in the form of the Vocaloid IA.  This happens to be the first stateside show for both.  The two acts are part of the twenty-fourth iteration of Anime Expo in a mini-event dubbed the "Cool Japan Festival."  They couldn't have picked a better stage to debut on in the United States.  Out of all the concerts and events at AX, this one was what I was looking forward to the most.

IA seemed to have some technical problems before going on; a full hour passed between the slated start time and actual showtime.  She uses the same projection screen technology as Hatsune Miku in Nokia (now Microsoft) Theater, but on a much smaller scale meant to fit the stage of Club Nokia.  Once things went live, she wowed the crowd, who were glad to see her.  Everyone was in high spirits and pumped their fists in the air and grooved alongside IA and her real-life backup dancers.  A live backing band hidden in the wings provided the music.  An hour quickly passed, and she ended with the song "Otsukimi Recital" with the promise to return.  Next up: Wagakki Band.

Wagakki Band is not your usual band.  For one, there are eight members.  That's a lot of people to fit on stage.  For two, they play a mixture of both modern instruments and traditional Japanese ones (the "wagakki").  They also look pretty damn cool.  Their outfits are inspired by historical Japanese clothing, and their lead vocalist, Yuko, has an elaborate oiran-esque design.  The band consists of shigin-trained Yuko Suzuhana with guitarist Machiya, bassist Asa, and drummer Wasabi. Adding to this are Beni Ninagawa on tsugaru-jamisen, Kiyoshi Ibukuro on koto, Daisuke Kaminaga on shakuhachi, and Kurona on wadaiko.

They started with "Senbonzakura," which serves as an introduction for the band.  Originally a Vocaloid song from 2011, it also helps highlight some of the members.  A sea of purple glow sticks (their theme color) rhythmically pumped through the room to the beat, a sure sign of a crowd having fun.  This was followed by "Iroha Uta" and "Yoshiwara Lament," both from their popular album, “VOCALO Zanmai.”  A lot of the songs featured would end up being from that album, which, as its name might imply, is heavily vocaloid-based.  "Akatsuki no Ito," from their upcoming album, “Yasouemaki,” would break this trend and usher in a trio of their newer songs, including "Ikusa" and "Hana Furumai."  The band would close with "Roku Chounen to Ichiya Monogatari."  The show might have taken a while to start, but it passed by in a flash, leaving fans wanting more.

What can you say about Wagakki Band?  They look great on stage.  There's always something or someone to watch, and no member is forgotten.  You can tell they like performing on stage and have a bit of fun.  Their sound blends modern music with that of historical Japan seamlessly and brings the two together to create a stronger whole.  It isn't the first time I've seen modern instruments combined with traditional Japanese ones, but Wagakki Band has definitely executed it to a higher degree than I've seen before.  Each instrument has its place in the ensemble, and none are forgotten in the background.  At times, the seven different instruments threaten to merge together into a cacophony, but things quickly come under control with Yuko at the helm.

Later in the day, both in person and online, I overheard more than a few people saying things along the lines of "worth the wait" and "to be able to see them, an hour was nothing."  I had the same feeling, and while I might have been a bit demoralized by the delay, I loved the show.

The band is currently finishing up a new album in which each member contributes arrangement and songwriting.  It is slated for a September release.  Rumor has it that the band is aiming to do a world tour sometime, so maybe we stateside folks will be able to see them again soon.  San Francisco, perhaps?  Hint hint, wink wink.

Set list:

Senbonzakura
Iroha Uta
Yoshiwara Lament
Kagerou Days
Tengoku
Homura
Akatsuki no Ito
Children Record
Ikusa
Hana Furumai
Setsuna Trip
Roku Chounen to Ichiya Monogatari